Comedian Ross Noble returned to the city last night for the first of three Manchester shows in his latest UK tour.

After a two year break from stand-up, the crazy haired Geordie was back to his usual stream of consciousness style of comedy at the Palace Theatre.

Mindblender is the critically acclaimed comedian’s thirteenth tour and his unique style of comedy did not fail to disappoint the audience in 'tropical Manchester', as the free-wheeling comic refers to the city.

The performance, which Noble himself describes as a 'series of tangents', moved quickly from one story to another as audience members (or the inner workings of his mind) distracted him from finishing the original tale.

Stopping at a wide array of topics, including Schrodinger's cat, the Smurf mafia and how to deal with a woman who has read 50 Shades of Grey, it is hard to tell what is part of the act and what has just been improvised on the spot.

Noble himself never quite seemed to have an idea where his mind would land next and the spectators simply enjoyed the wild ride through his mind, hoping that he would eventually resolve all of the anecdotes that he began.

One story about a man with an odd laugh, which began in the opening minutes of the show, was only completed during the encore after one heckler demanded to hear its conclusion.

With his usual elaborate backdrop behind him, this time an industrial style set up of wheels, cogs and dismembered robot parts, Noble danced along the line of political correctness, only occasionally stepping too far into the realms of controversy.

Most notably the line became blurred with satirical remarks about the current Jimmy Savile affair and a few shocked gasps could be heard before Noble returned to his usual, more light-hearted style.

Luckily, the material returned to normal (if you can call Noble’s act normal) and the rest of the show consisted of more kooky gags and surreal impressions.

By the end of the two hour gig, the audience had been left wanting more, with one woman so impressed with the performance that she revealed her breasts in appreciation, leaving Noble understandably flustered.

As always with a Ross Noble show, the audience learns a few things such as why you should never insult a blind person, how you can time travel and, with enough audience pressure, Noble will put a giant duck slipper on his head.

But whatever you do, don’t mention My Little Pony.

Ross Noble is appearing at The Palace Theatre on November 9 and 10 and is currently appearing in his debut horror film, Stitches.

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